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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WHISTLEBLOWERS raised concerns about bogus contractors to the Department of Education up to five years ago, a Dáil committee has heard.
The Joint Committee on Education this evening heard claims that industry officials met with former Minister Ruairi Quinn and Department officials over the issue in 2012 or 2013.
The committee sat to discuss updates on the 42 schools built by Western Building Systems which have been examined for structural safety issues.
Two schools and a building at a third, all in Dublin, were closed last month after concerns were raised about their structural integrity.
Speaking at the committee, Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger alleged that a number of construction workers were “literally turfed out the door” when they raised concerns about school buildings a number of years ago.
“I can get the dates of those meetings, but are you aware of that? And can you look back in the diaries in Tullamore [where the Department's planning and building unit is based] to see if that’s the case?” she said.
Brick wall
Coppinger’s claims were echoed by her party colleague Richard Boyd-Barrett, who also alleged that a meeting between whistleblowers and Quinn took place in 2012 or 2013.
He said that building workers and construction officials met with Quinn in Tullamore and in Dublin at the time, when they said that the schools building programme was like “the Wild West”.
“But in all of these meetings they met a brick wall. The Department didn’t want to know … the Minister didn’t want to know. Now if that’s true, heads have to roll over that.”
Labour TD Joan Burton, a former Cabinet colleague of Quinn, refuted the claims, saying that the former Minister for Education had opened an investigation into practices on sites where new schools were built.
“A claim has been made against a former Minister which I know to be untrue and unreflective, because in fact there’s an official here from the Department who may have been there for some years,” she said.
Culpability
Responding to Burton, McHugh accepted that it was important that those who had claims made against them should be given a chance to defend themselves.
But he added that he would listen to any whistleblowers who may have evidence of meetings with Department officials if they were forthcoming.
Earlier, the Minister said he would strive to ensure that those responsible for the controversy were held accountable.
“What I’m determined to do is to get to the bottom of this and determined to find out who’s culpable, [and] where the responsibility lies,” McHugh said.
“There has to be culpability, and there has to be an effort made to ensure culpability and accountability is brought to bear.”
Separately, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced this afternoon that all 42 schools impacted by the scandal have now been structurally assessed.
He said that 19 schools have been cleared to reopen with no works needed, a further 19 have been allowed to open providing external works were done to them, while three were still unable to open but would be by the end of the week.
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Coppinger says heads have to roll, but i’d say ruairi quinn doesn’t give a hoot, he’s long gone and his political pension is untouchable.
So are this crowd of craftsmen currently building in the Republic of Ireland.
There is literally no end to the prevalence of corruption and cover ups in this country. Every day something new. It seems always that those most affected are the most vulnerable. I am, at times, literally aghast that there are not people marching with burning torches through the streets demanding change. It seems that the culture of one-uppery and blind-eye-ism is so deeply engrained in our society that we are simply no longer surprised by anything we hear. We are now so conditioned to the corruption in our political system that we no longer resist or protest it. It’s sad
@Hoomanbean: thinking the very same thing myself. Idiotic country, run by gombeens, kept in control by gombeens.
@Hoomanbean: Look people vote for the parties that have the country a cesspit, that is a thumbs up to the parties to continue as is, its not the politicians fault they are doing as they always have and will always do as long as we keep voting for them……we are a nation of underhanded tax dodging backhander taking crooks from top to bottom lets face it.
The best way to get value for money is to devolve the responsibilities to the Board of Management to provide the Contractor. Then provide the money. A local builder can build a school to the high standard requirement at a much more competitive price. The local builder will have better pride in the project because the new build will enhance his/her reputation locally. It is a win win scenario all round.
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: What really happens is a contractor applies & wins the contract, subbies out the work to another contractor on a cheaper price, who subbies out the job for an even cheaper price and so on. In the end the job is done on a fraction of the original quoted price and the standard of materials & labour is diminished by the final cost to the actual contractor doing the job on site. Happened using the last boom and today.
Labour, a morally bankrupt party at this point. Disband and move on with your cosy little pensions.
Labour know best.
Probably sub contractors who didn’t get paid
Everyone here knows how political parties and property developers act towards each other, is it a shock… No.
In Louth there is a housing estate being built on land and everyone around this plot of land is surprised because it floods in the winter and the worst it ever flooded was last year but yet they are building a housing estate on it now. Who will pay the home owners then for flooding damage as it seems the developers know nothing about it flooding.
Who will be paying the costs of future flooding damage then?
Mr Quinn, had his ego to boost and didn’t care about such issues as school buildings. His negative print will be forever left on the Irish Education System.
They knew before 2012
The dirty hands of labour party,put childrens lives at risk to stay in government with FG.
@@mdmak33: As the Catholic child abuse was happening how many T.D’s. turned a blind eye to that and then you wonder?
Gilmore for Taoiseach
The MEAT / Most Economically Advantageous Tender on which Public Contracts are awarded is a disaster. Remove the lowest and highest bidders and go for the middle tender. This means quality of build does not suffer. In situations where contractors actively ‘buy’ work for turnover (ie purposely bid low) it results in a contractor generally offering poor quality work of low standards and generally means rework is required. Quality has to suffer in the case where contractors are aggressively undercutting the market – absolutely no winner in this instance.
Please learn the difference between ‘refute’ and ‘reject’.
Thought they would have learned there lesson.
have your say